Gray and Natsu vs the illusion mage
by goozles01
Summary: After a thief takes Lucy's purse, Natsu comes to the rescue, but something weird happens during a fight with the crook. With Happy missing and Natsu's mind playing tricks on him, he begins to realize how much he values Grays company and even starts to consider him boyfriend material. Will they find Happy? Will Natsu return to normal? Will Gray like him back? Find out now! Gratsu!
1. Then It Went Black

**Then It Went Black**

"Now that I've eaten, I feel re-energized!" I slurped up the mass of blue flames that my opponent had shot towards me. He was shocked that I managed to eat anything he threw me and began to trip over his words, unsure of what to say. He was quite strong, for just a petty thief, but now was not the time for admiration. After all, he had stole Lucy's purse and anybody willing to mess with a dragon slayer's friends deserved a beating. "This will blow you away!" Rearranging my feet and building up bright orange embers around me I yelled "Fire dragon, brilliant flame!" A great force of scolding hot fire whirled towards the thief and he was engulfed by my intense fires. As the smoke cleared away, I could see the crook lying face down on the ground, twitching. "I've had enough of you" I said through gritted teeth. He grunted in reply and, with great difficulty, returned to a fighting stance. Swiftly, I walked towards him, extinguishing the flames on my hands. I could take this guy with or without magic. My enemy threw one last sluggish punch to my stomach. I let it hit me and it didn't affect me in the slightest. I drew back my arm and muttered anngrily "Next time think before you interfere with me and my friends", I swung my fist with a great strength behind it towards my foe.

It should have been over. I should have won by now. _I would have won by now_. I didn't feel anything hit my fist. I looked down at my hand. It was stopped just milimeters from the thief's face. Wait a second. I was overwhelemed by suprise. This guy wasn't a crook. He - or rather she - was Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia.

 _Then it went black_.


	2. I Will Find You

Authors Note: _If, you've made it this far, be sure to tell your friends about the story and help me grow as a writer, thank you. I would like to receive ideas for new stories if anybody has an idea and likes my writing and feel free to PM me any time. This is written from Natsu's perspective._

 **I Will Find You**

I opened my eyes hesitantly, but the stinging sun forced them shut again. _Where am I?_ I thought to myself, _What the hell happened?_ I tried opening my eyes again, slower and more cautiously now. Pink hair, hanging over my eyes kept me from seeing. My thoughts were so scattered that it took me a minute to realize the hair was my own. Moving was out of the question, my arms lolled by my sides, my head resting on a pillow and my legs so numb that I questioned whether I still had them. I decided to collect my memories and try to piece together what happened during that fight. The last thing I remember is seeing Lucy's weeping face just millimeters from my fist, then a great force struck me in my stomach and then… _nothing_. Feeling a drop land on my face made me notice how much I was sweating. I was drenched. _How could this be?_ The pungent aroma of ale filled my nostrils with each breath that I took. Despite my confusion, the smell gave me a sort of nostalgic feel. Unbearable heat conquered my body, leaving me in agony, but too weak to move. _What could have possibly done this to a fire wizard?_ I continued to consider what had happened, where I was and how I got here for what seemed like hours before I made an attempt at getting up. I put every last ounce of strength I had into my arms and legs, but to no avail. My head only turned on its side. _Right, think again. Think, think, think, think, think! What happened? why can't I—_ My thoughts were interrupted by a loud creak on a set of stairs below me, accompanied by another thud. _Footsteps_. Someone was coming for me. My salmon hair still covered my eyes, leaving me blind to any enemy to step into this room. A sudden wave of fear took over my body, causing me to tremble. Without enough strength to speak or cry out for help, I found myself wondering, _is this the end?_ I felt a cold drop run down my cheek. _Am I really crying?_ It was safe to say that I was terrified. Each step seemed to take longer than the one previous to it, as if mocking me. Shivers went down my spine while the footsteps got louder and louder, closer and closer. It felt like an age before the footsteps finally stopped, however, I took no reassurance in this because it meant that now, whoever it was, was in the same room. I gulped and took a deep breath. My heart was a drum and all I could here, as the person making the footsteps drew closer. I could sense them lurking over me. I tried to make a witty remark to the figure, but instead my teeth just started chattering. A familiar voice then said "N-Natsu? Oh my god Natsu! You're awake!" I felt a cold touch on my forehead. Whoever it was moved my hair out of my face, so I could see him. It was… Gray?

 _I fainted_

"No, don't put that there. It'll burn."

"We don't even know if this is going to wake him guys."

"Who cares he's just going to destroy everything looking for that stupid cat"

I heard muffled voices while asleep. _That's funny. Gray seems to be talking about Happy._

"Gray! How dare you. How would you feel if you were Natsu?" asked Lucy

"Stupid for one thing" muttered Gray in reply.

 _Damn that ice block, he's totally gonna get it._

Erza cut in the other's conversation "You two, stop. We have to find a way to tell Natsu that Happy went missing without him going berserk"

 _No 'Aye sir!' from Happy. Something is odd._

"Why do we even need him? Hot head's already had his ass kicked once. He can't handle it." growled a bold Gray and although I could not see Erza glaring at him, I could feel it.

"We need him to tell us what happened in the fight. He was the only one that saw, and we need to be prepared for the worst. Even master is fretting about that crook." Snapped Erza

"And we're the strongest team in Fairy Tail!" added Lucy, "But first we need the cat."

"No, we need to take down the bad guy. Y'know, before he causes more trouble." argued Gray

"As the strongest here I, Erza Scarlet, say that we should wait for master's orders before proceeding to take on the enemy"

The trio continued to argue about what to do. I'd had enough. Quckly, I sat up, orange flames erupting from my fists. I wasn't ready for a fight with Erza, or Gray, and maybe even Lucy would surpass me in my current state, but Happy was my friend and I intended to bring him home. The others noticed me and quietly gasped when they saw me scowling at them. "I'm going to get Happy", I barked viciously, "tag along if you will". I sprinted off in some direction, not really thinking about where I was going and, with a few mumbled curses, all three ran after me. _Just as planned._

 _Happy, I will find you._


	3. Warm

**Author's Note:** _Thank you_ _Thank you Thank you Thank you for still reading! And a special thank you to_ _ **Serial Letters**_ _for being my first reader!_

 **Warm**

No more than ten minutes had passed before Erza caught up to me and tackled me to the ground. Having not been hurt I stood up and let out a deflated sigh. _I'll never find Happy at this rate_. I bowed my head, suddenly depressed, but then, as if reading my mind, Erza spoke in a soothing tone, "We will find him and together we will find whoever did this." She proceeded to pull me in for a hug, that I gladly accepted. After a few seconds, I pulled away and asked "Where are the others?"

"Oh, Lucy is down the hill with Gray."

"You left her with him?!" I sprinted down the hill to where Erza said she left them where I found Gray in nothing but his underwear and Lucy with a face as red as my fire. "Pervert! Put some clothes on!" I went to lecture Gray about taking his clothes off _again_ , but before I could say anything else, I was put into a trance by his delicious six-pack. Of course I had seen Gray like this, but never once think about it like I was then. After chasing me, and probably carrying Lucy too, the mage was dripping with sweat. The fine droplets swam around his muscles, as if trying to make someone jealous. _When did the ice wizard become this hot?_ Gray ran his fingers through his long, dark hair and took a step towards me. I'm reluctant to admit that I was practically drooling. Remembering where I was, I realized that Gray was probably angry at me for calling him a pervert. I was brought back to my senses when Gray smashed his head against mine and said scornfully "It's hot. That's the reason I'm dressed like this. You're a fire wizard, you're used to the heat, slanty eyes!"

To which I replied with, "Just cool yourself with your ice magic. Don't strip when you're alone with a girl, droopy eyes!"

We kept arguing like this until Erza reached the bottom of the hill. She was a slow walker and often gave us time to fight, but when she was around, if we wanted to keep our heads on our shoulders, Gray and I are forced to act as friends. Lucy and Erza decided that we should at least conjure up a plan before we go around destroying the city without our guild's permission. I suggested a diner that me and Happy frequented - or rather used to. Every time I thought of the creature, I could feel a piece of me break. I had to stay strong though. For Happy, and everyone in Fairy Tail. We arrived at the diner and sat at my usual table. Having recognized my face, the waiter came over instantly. He greeted everybody at the table politely and then started talking to me, "Yo, Natsu! How's it goin', man?" It was a rhetorical question, so instead of telling him about Happy and the fight, I just nodded and told him I was fine. The waiter went on to ask, "So you'll have the usual?"

I answered "Just half today, thanks", my voice on the verge of breaking. It was hard to order food for just myself and not Happy as well. I began to wonder whether coming here was a good idea. The waiter took the others' orders, but before leaving, looked around the table seeming confused. _Please don't ask_. The waiter opened his mouth to talk. _Don't ask. Please don't ask_.

"Hey, Natsu," _He's going to ask_. I clenched my fists and shut my eyes tight. He must have seen my unease, because just then, out of nowhere, Gray stood up, looked the waiter in the eyes and whispered "Don't talk about that stupid blue cat." He took a deep breath and sat back down again. The waiter must have got the message because he speedily walked away from our table and got back to his job. _Thank you Gray. You didn't use the best words, but I know you did that for me_. Gray did try to help, but it was too late. A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another. I let out a small whimper, attracting the attention of the people on our table. They all looked around at each other awkwardly, trying to decide on someone to comfort me. Their eyes eventually rest on Gray. He didn't question why they chose him to calm me down, but instead he just held me in his arms, with my head buried in his chest. I lay still, sobbing into the dark haired boy's arms for a few minutes and then I realized that despite being an ice wizard…

 _Gray's touch was warm._


	4. Not Broken

Author's Note: _Thank you for continuing my story. Don't forget to review and even tell your friends about me. I would especially like to thank imherefortheanimemostly for being my second reader. Please point out anything I'm doing wrong and one again, Thank you!_

Not Broken

One minute I was crying in the arms of Gray Fullbuster, the next I was lying down in some grass with a panting Erza Scarlet on top of me. She and I were both sweating like crazy, causing the dirty-minded side of my brain to take over and left me with a blush the colour of Erza's hair. I was too shy to speak and she was still catching her breath, so we just stayed like this until the red-head spoke first. "N-Natsu", she said, still struggling for breath, "We will find Happy… but first… we need… we need to think of a plan." Those words confused me.

"Hadn't we just decided to talk about plans tomorrow?" I said, barely hiding my perplexity. She looked just as baffled as I am and got off of me, giving me the chance the chance to sit up. When I realized that we were both fully clothed and not doing… _that_ , I sat up and noticed a sharp pain in my side. "Ow!" I cried, "Sorry, my leg hurts for some reason, why were you on top of me by the way?" Erza just stared at me. Not the psycho-killer stare, that could give a small child nightmares, but rather a gentle, worried, maybe even caring stare. Interrupting her gaze was a far away shout from Lucy. "Erza!" she yelled. I turned to face the direction from which her voice was coming from, but couldn't see her. The ground sloped down to where Lucy's voice was coming from. _I've been on this hill before. How the hell did I get here?_ Lucy and Gray soon reached the top of the hill."Erza…" they both said in unison, rapidly drawing breath from the air. The crimson haired girl turned and faced them. "It appears that Natsu has hit his head" she stated in deadpan.

"Hey!" I said, offended.

Titania then faced me. She looked emotionless, but spoke sincerely, "I'm terribly sorry, Natsu. I accept full responsibility for your injuries and I will pay for any surgery that you need to undergo."

"Oh, my leg isn't bad enough to get in a fret over. Just a few minutes rest is all it needs, not surgery. And what do you mean you'll take full responsibility?"

Erza just sighed, while Lucy cooed "Aww, poor thing."

"He doesn't even know that he has brain damage." Finished Gray.

"Brain damage?!" I repeated, hot with fury, "Okay, I'll let you off, Gray because you helped me calm down earlier, but the rest of you—"

"I did no such thing, Pinky!" Gray boomed, interrupting me.

"It's salmon!" I screamed back at the dark haired boy because confusion prevented me from doing anything else. I couldn't decide whether I was angry, sad, actually had a problem with my brain, but one thing was certain, everybody was equally as bemused as I was. My brain may have been scrambled,

 _But it was definitely not broken._


	5. Killed by a Comrade

**Author's Note:** _Hello! So much for once a day huh? I had great difficulty writing the next few chapters on paper so they may well be short and low quality, but I'll make up for it once the story gets going I hope. I've got a few tests coming up at school so I wont be able to write as much, but I am hopeful that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Thanks._

 **Killed by a Comrade**

We all stood in a circle, glaring around at each other. Erza looked as if she were about to kill us all, while Lucy looked like she was about to run away. Gray had his arms folded, looking as cool as ever and I was just wondering, _why would Gray deny that he hugged me, it's a good thing, idiot_. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, silence was broken by Erza's bellowing voice, "Right! Cut the crap! I know this is one of your dumb pranks, Natsu! Own up!" Gray practically jumped out of his skin and Lucy did in fact run away.

"What's gotten into you? If _you're_ pranking _me_ to try to cheer me up then it's not working."

"Don't turn this around, miscreant!" Erza drew her sword and marched towards me. She took a deep breath and knocked my legs out from under me, before placing the tip of her new rapier on my throat. "You spout nothing but lies! Now tell the truth!" she almost screamed. I just sat idling, not knowing what to do. _She clearly doesn't know how to prank someone. This has gone way too far._ "Natsu!" she shouted again.

I gulped and felt the sword pierce the skin on my neck slightly. "I am telling the truth, Erza." I said sincerely. My voice cracked as I spoke. "I ran off to find happy. You tackled me down. We went to a diner and decided to discuss plans tomorrow." I missed out the part where Gray held me.

"Lies!" she drew back her sword. I shut my eyes to hide tears. _Is this really how I am going to die?_

 _Killed by a comrade?_


	6. The Illusion Mage

****Author's Note:**** _I'm really glad that people are enjoying this. I'm trying to keep regular uploads, but there are a lot of obstacles. I appreciate the support I have had from those of you to PM me back. I would like to thank_ _ **Yosei0280**_ _for being my latest reader and the rest of you for still reading. Especially you_ _ **Serial Letters**_ _._

 ** **The Illusion Mage****

 _Ba-dum, ba-dum…_ Darkness surrounded me. _Ba-dum, ba-dum…_ Ghostly chills compelled the hairs on my neck to stand on end. _Ba-dum, ba-dum…_ Deafened by the echoing sound of my heartbeat, I lay with my eyes shut pondering over what's going to happen next. I prayed that this was not the end of my story, though it was hard to believe. _Ba-dum, ba-dum…_ All that was left to do was wait…

 _Ba-dum, ba-dum…_

 _Ba-dum, ba-dum…_

 _Ba-dum_ … _ba-dum…_

 _Ba_ … _dum_ …

As the seconds passed, my inner pulse became slower, duller, calmer. Whatever was coming, I was ready for it.

… _dum_ …

The sound of a slight whimper brought me back to reality. Opening my eyes, I cursed myself instantly. _What kind of dragon slayer give's up that easily?_ I went to make another statement about not lying, but the sight of a horrified Erza Scarlet made me freeze. She dropped her sword and fell to her knees. That's when I heard it too, 'Natsu! You too! We need you and the others back at the guild right now! Fairy Tail is under attack.' The familiar voice was thick with dismay. 'They took out Gramps! And they have Happy on their side! HELP!' cried the voice in my head. It took me only a few seconds to realize that the voice was Warren, Fairy Tail's own telepathy wizard.

Angst overwhelmed me and I looked up at Erza wide-eyed and in disarray. She was already sprinting in the direction of our guild so fast that she was a reddish blur to the untrained eye. I took off behind her and passed a confused Gray and terrified Lucy. I grabbed them and forced them both to speed to the guild. _We had to make it there. They have Happy._

I remember thinking that the guild could not have been in worse condition after Gajeel's first visit, but now, looking at the pile of sticks in front of me, the damage done by Phantom Lord was like that of a termite's. I was deflated. _What could have done this much damage? It doesn't even look like it was a building anymore. They took out Gramps. They had Happy…_ Movement came from under a pile of shattered bricks causing all four of us to pounce on top of it and start digging furiously. We uncovered a beat-up Mirajane. She was sweating profusely and her hair was plastered to her head. Mirajane dizzily looked at Lucy and said "You know, that was a pretty good kiss, care for another?" Lucy's face went from a pale, sickly colour to a bright rose red and denied kissing the white-haired girl. Of course Erza got pretty pissed off and forcefully asked what happened to which Mirajane responded with "Well, everything was normal. I was behind the bar. Natsu and Gray were fighting," _Me and Gray were on a hill._ "And then they exploded into a billion pieces!" continued the excited and clearly unreliable girl.

Erza grabbed Mirajane with the same look she had on the hill and said through gritted teeth "What. Happened?"

"Wait! Wait, I didn't even get to the best part!", Mirajane giggled, "Thennnn, Lucy-san leaned across the bar and kissed me!"

The smell of ale hung around Mirajane, so we looked for the next person. Cana-san was cowering in the corner saying "No more clowns" over and over.

Person after person, we asked, we interrogated and we quizzed and we still got nowhere. Gramps was sitting on a throne of rubble where the bar used to be. "Master!" Erza shouted "What happened here and why is everyone playing me for a fool?!" Our guild master just blushed and ran away. Erza scowled as she walked back to us and it was safe to say that we were the most flummoxed foursome in history. Everybody in Fairy Tail had a different idea about what happened just a few minutes ago.

Titania told us to look for Warren, the one who summoned us here. Five minutes later Gray emerged from behind a wall carrying an unconscious telepathy wizard with him. A trickle of blood run from Warrens nose left me, Gray, Lucy and Erza wondering _'What the hell happened while we were gone?'_

Being so close to finding Happy made me doubt if I'm even a good enough owner for him. I mean, I couldn't even get there in time. And if he is willingly working for whoever did this, then they must be one hundred times better than me. Sitting here feeling sorry for myself made me doubt myself even more. The biggest mystery of the century happens and while Lucy and Erza are questioning Warren, all I can do is think about Happy. I must have really sucked at hiding my anxiety because Gray scooted over, put his arm around me and said "It's okay, I don't know what's going on either. We'll get your lil' blue friend back soon and kick whoever did this' ass!" I thanked Gray and right away, Lucy called us over to talk to Warren.

"I'm not sure what happened!" said the telepathy wizard, "all I know is that a guy with a black coat walked through the door with Natsu's cat, followed by a small squad of non-magic soldiers—"

"I do not believe that one guy, soldiers and Natsu's cat could do this to Fairy Tail!" interrupted an agitated Erza.

"It was like that! We left the cat alone and started taking out the soldiers with ease, but then our wizards became distant. In dreams almost. One by one we stopped attacking them until it was just me left. Even the master went blank! I began to hallucinate for a few seconds like I was asleep. Whatever the guy in the coat was doing, it was some kind of brain magic. That's why my telepathy stopped me from going out like the rest, but I couldn't keep it up for long. Soon I too fell into a daze and now my memory is muddled. But not as bad as the others'. This guy is powerful though. I contacted the guild Saber Tooth for help, but they'd already been wiped out by this guy! We need to alert the council, now."

Erza was frustrated as ever, "I don't think the master would drop before you, traitor!"

"I'm not a traitor!" argued Warren. It was brain magic.

All of this reminded me of my battle with that crook. How he turned into Lucy and then I blacked out. Maybe he just tricked my brain to think it was Lucy. Then I recalled the diner that I supposedly never went to. Cutting Erza off from saying another word I exclaimed "It's true! The same thing has happened to me twice already." I then proceeded to tell them about my fight with the thief and our meal at the diner, including every last detail and leaving Gray with a pink blush dusted on his face.

After I had finished explaining my hallucinations, I finished with "— so really we're fighting a dream wizard?"

"No. A dream wizard would need people to fall asleep. The others are still seeing their illusions wide awake. That's it! Illusion magic was banned for driving people insane years ago." said Erza, "We are not up against the dream wizard, we are up against

 _the illusion mage."_


	7. Ready

**Author's Note:** _Sorry for being gone. I'm back though and planning to write non stop for a few days! No new followers to commemorate in this chapter, but to all of you who are reading this, you mean the world to me. Hope you haven't lost interest. And please enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing._

 **Ready**

"No!" I screamed, "I'll never do it! Don't make me do that!"

"You must, Natsu" argued Erza.

"You're evil! I'll kill you!"

"You might never see your cat again if you don't."

"Three weeks have passed since I last saw Happy. I'll do anything to get him back. Anything but this!" Then an incredibly loud screech echoed through the corridors of the warehouse, making even Erza flinch. "What are you doing to Gray?!" I asked with a shriek, struggling to break free of the shackles that held me still.

"I'd imagine Lucy just told him what we need you both to do." sighed the redhead, "I really wish you wouldn't make such a fuss. One evening and it'll all be over."

I glared at her, shooting daggers, while thinking for a way to persuade her to let me go. A short while afterwards, Lucy sprinted into the room, and after taking a few seconds to catch her breath whispered something into Erza's ear. Titania looked up, wide-eyed. She told me what Lucy had told her. "Natsu... It appears-" she was cut off by her own giggle, "It appears that Gray has agreed to do it."

I could feel my face become an intense shade of red. "No! I wont! I'll never go with that ice block!"

A wide grin spread across Erza's face, while Lucy was covering her mouth too suppress a snicker. "Not even to save Happy?" taunted the redhead.

"Not even to defeat the guy who beat you up?" continued the blonde.

My blush darkening, I managed to stutter "D-damn you... I'll... I'll do it..."

The girls erupted into laughter, before untying me and letting me out of the room. "Go get 'em tiger" said Lucy, making my face turn an even brighter red. _I'll get my revenge later. But now I've got a date_. I darted down the corridors to where the black-haired boy was standing, with his arms folded coolly. He was wearing a suit, but without a tie and the first few buttons of his shirt undone, exposing his chest slightly. I looked down at the clothes I was wearing, my usual white shorts and brown jacket. I panicked and began to worry about what to wear. Having seen my anxiety, Gray strolled over and handed me a neatly folded suit. It was perfect, fitting me perfectly. He looked down at me with big eyes, the colour of the night sky and asked in a whisper, "Ready?"

I blinked, holding my eyes shut for a few seconds, took a deep breath and rested my gaze on the other. _For Happy,_ I told myself. I opened my mouth to speak,

 _"Ready."_


End file.
